More conflicting information seems to revolve around Microsoft’s mobile stance. It’s been only a few days after Microsoft Ignite, where Lumia customers were given some relief from their concerns. Now, it’s been discovered that Lumia phones won’t be catered to by Microsoft customer support anymore. Instead, it is quietly being handed off to B2X (via Windows Blog Italia).
Currently, you can still visit the Microsoft support page for Lumia phones. After answering a few troubleshooting and attempting a few solutions, any further complications will be redirected towards B2X. The German customer support has been named a Microsoft Authorized Customer Service Provider with a logo on their webpage to prove it. Its website declares that “B2X is the leading customer care provider for smartphones and other electronic devices.”
We probably should have expected the switch of customer support back when the support account on Twitter @LumiaHelp was shut down earlier this summer. While it moved over to @MicrosoftHelps at the time, it seems that won’t be the solution anymore. Another telltale sign was the recent report that Microsoft would not be adding any new help articles to the Lumia Highlights app.
This change was noticed literally days after Microsoft restated its commitment to Windows 10 Mobile phones last week at Microsoft Ignite 2016. The “Discover What’s Next for Windows 10 Mobile” session was hosted by Alan Meeus and included slideshows with a quote from Windows President Terry Myerson that displayed:
“We always take care of our customers. Windows phones are no exception. We will continue to update and support our current Lumia and OEM partner phones, and develop great new devices.”
The quote, however, is from May 2016.
The switch over to B2X for customer support could also mean that the company finds it cheaper to outsource instead of keeping their own employees. This year we’ve seen a steep decline in jobs especially when it comes to phones.
There’s a lot of conflict between words and actions for Windows 10 Mobile and customers are at an unrest. What do you think this really means for Lumia customers?